Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Symptoms and Prevention of Osteoporosis

Both women and men suffer from osteoporosis but women are much more likely to contract the disease. You might think your bones and strong and unbreakable, but you could be very wrong. Osteoporosis doesn't show its symptoms until it has become severe and by that time, there's not much you can do about it.

Osteoporosis is the condition in which your bones become thinner, fragile and more apt to break. This disease is very painful until bones break and fractures usually occur in the hip, spine and wrist. Any bone in your body can be affected by osteoporosis but the ones that break the most are in the hip area. This is a most severe break for a person because it usually requires a hospital stay and surgery. It also could require a person to walk with a cane because of the break or it may take away their ability to walk altogether. Death can even occur from spinal or vertebral injuries due to osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis can be prevented if you start taking calcium when you're young. Calcium will help keep your bones strong and unbreakable throughout the rest of your life. So, talk to your doctor and see how much calcium you should be getting per day. Once you know the dosage, you can choose the right type of calcium for you.

Taking calcium doesn't have to be boring anymore. You can choose from pills, chews or even "candy" to get your recommended dose of calcium. Pills have been around for ever but the chews are a slightly new invention. They come in grape, orange and strawberry flavors and you can suck or chew them until they're gone. There are also candy calcium chews that taste like caramel or chocolate. So, there really is no excuse why you aren't getting calcium every day. Teenagers need to take calcium as well, to ensure that they don't get osteoporosis one day either.


James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest.
Read more at www.osteoporosis-help.info

minerals

Sunday, August 27, 2006

St. John's Wort Vitamins

The St. Johns Wort is an ordinary shrub-like recurrent that bears yellow flowers. This usually has a number of curative materials when being dried. Most people that make this a famous non-prescription herb now have already tested this dietary supplement.

Most people especially those that live in the European countries used the St. Johns Wort to relax their shocking nerves and cure their wounds. In addition, what makes it astounding to the North American people is that they have lately grip this supplement as a cure for depression and other conditions accompany by it.

It is also believed that St. John’s Wort is not only efficient and helpful. It has lesser side effects, too and it costs most users 20 dollars good for a one-month supply. This is 75 percent cheaper than all the other antidepressant drugs found in the market. As a result more and more people resort to using the St. Johns Wort since it is cheaper, it also has a fewer side effects – the kind which most anti depressant user wants.

Even though St. Johns Wort has already been the center of many studies, still researches can not accurately identify what make this herb functions. What these researchers mostly think is that, a pigment (hypericin) found in St. Johns Wort is the believed to a contributing factors in the herb’s medicinal effects.

As of the moment, researchers continue their several studies completely display the effectiveness of the St. Johns Wort for many mental conditions. In addition, because of the extensive utilization of the St. Johns Wort by the public, researchers is also in the course of performing a study to identify its effect on most generally approved drugs.

For now, what the researchers can give for most users of the St. Johns Wort is the proven benefits and curative effects of it. They are:

1. St. Johns Wort is good to alleviate mild to fair depression.

It is believe that St. Johns Wort encourages good sleep for most users. This is very helpful to those who are suffering from fatigue, low stamina and difficulty in sleeping that usually lead to depression. In addition, this herb is a great cure for those who have a chronic fatigue syndrome.

2. The St. Johns Wort helps in controlling Premenstrual Syndrome and fibromylagia syndrome.

St. Johns Wort is good for taking especially when woman is suffering from her premenstrual syndrome. However, this may take one or two menstrual cycle before it becomes an active medicinal value in to your body.

Nevertheless, probably, it will help reduce your emotional distress. It is also believed that St. Johns Wort will not only lessen your depression but also it will help feel ease from any extensive muscle pain that you will
feel.

3. St. John’s Wort anxiety, stress, pressure and chronic pain.

St. Johns Wort may help reduce the despair and apprehension that are usually accompanied by these conditions.

4. St. Johns Wort is good as a defence against infection.

It has been revealed that St. Johns Wort has properties for both antibacterial and antiviral. This is mainly effective for cure of burns, incise, scuffs and other minor skin irritations. And this herb might be valuable as treatment for herpes simplex, flu and Epstein Barr virus.

5. It also helps ease haemorrhoids.

This can calm the pain cause by haemorrhoids. The burning and itching feeling may be reduced also. And it may help to lessen the irritated and inflamed tissue.

Since more and more users are encouraged to use the St. Johns Wort, it is important that they know the guidelines on the proper usage of this herb.

The following are the list of the best instruction in using this herb.

1. If you are a first timer, it is important that you allow yourself at least four weeks to observe if St. Johns Wort is also suitable for you.
2. Before taking the herb, make sure that you have a loaded stomach to lessen the threat of any stomach irritation.
3. You can eat any foods of your choice since there is none to be avoided when taking St. Johns Wort.
4. To avoid the possibility of any undesirable reaction to the herb, do not make a St. Johns Wort for yourself. It is recommended that you buy the herb supplements over the counter.

However, the most important matter of all this is to see your doctor if it is advisable for you to take the St. Johns Wort to avoid any health hazards. This is just to make sure that you are doing this for your health and not for any other else.
vitamins

Friday, August 25, 2006

Selenium

Selenium is a trace mineral which supports healthy activity within your immune system, functions as an important part of the potent antioxidant glutathione, and is necessary for good thyroid health. This formula uses SelenoPure high, yeast free selenium for ultimate immune support. It is chelated to ensure better utilization by the body, as well as rapid absorption.

Selenium and Glutathione

Our bodies use Selenium to produce glutathione peroxidase, which is a part of the body's natural antioxidant defense system, manufactured in the liver. It works with vitamin E to prevent cell membranes from being damaged by harmful free radicals, and detoxifys harmful compounds so they can be removed from the body. Some glutathione is released into the bloodstream, where it helps to maintain the integrity of red blood cells while protecting your immune system's white blood cells as part of the body’s natural defense.
Safety

To avoid the risk of toxic levels of Selenium building up in your system, avoid taking high doses (900 mcg or more at one time, or 600 mcg daily for an extended period of time). Also be sure to take into account the amount of selenium you're getting from foods such as seafood, and whole grains, oats, and nuts.

Research Suggests that Selenium Supports Immune Health

Selenium is a requirement for a well-functioning immune system, and in a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition*, researchers investigated the effects of beta-carotene and Selenium supplementation in patients who had deficiencies of selenium and vitamin A. The researchers measured the blood enzymatic antioxidant system, including glutathione and Selenium concentrations. The placebo group consisted of 18 patients who received no supplementation, the beta-carotene group comprised 13 patients receiving oral beta-carotene, and the selenium group was composed of 14 patients receiving oral Selenium. All groups were studied for one full year, and results showed glutathione activity increased significantly after three to six months of supplementation. The researchers stated that glutathione plays an important role in the natural enzymatic defense system in detoxifying hydrogen peroxide in water, therefore Selenium supplementation could be of great interest in protecting cells against oxidative stress.